Chapter 39: The Housing Dilemma (Two Chapters in One)

The weather today wasn't as gloomy as yesterday. After finishing breakfast this morning, Leng Yongkang and Tang Lin prepared to head out with Leng Hui.

Feeling curious, Sun Xiaojuan interjected, "Sister-in-law, Big Brother is going to work. Why are you coming along?"

Over the past two days, she had noticed that Tang Lin seemed to be recovering well. However, Tang Lin didn't handle anything for herself; all the household chores were managed by Sun Xiaojuan alone, which left her feeling quite stifled.

Tang Lin wrapped her scarf tightly. "I have some business to attend to."

Meeting Old Lady Leng's questioning gaze, Leng Yongkang spoke slowly, "The divorce certificate was issued yesterday. We're going to handle the formalities today."

As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a depth charge had exploded in the otherwise calm morning.

Sun Xiaojuan was stunned, her face filled with shock. "Big Brother, are you really divorcing Sister-in-law?"

Old Lady Leng frowned and glanced at Tang Lin. Seeing her looking half-dead and cold, she felt a surge of anger.

*With that depressing widow's face, it's better to divorce. She's bad luck.*

Leng Yongxing frowned with disapproval, his eyes filled with reproach. "Big Brother, marriage is a major life event that should be approached with extreme caution. Don't make decisions lightly."

Tang Lin looked at Leng Yongxing's selfish expression with irony. Was this divorce touching his interests, causing him to put on the airs of a family patriarch?

Leng Yongkang ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Not wanting to explain much to his family, he urged Tang Lin and Leng Hui to hurry up.

Leng Hui grabbed a pancake from the table, threw on her coat, and headed for the door. "Let's go. Stop dawdling."

As the family of three left the residential compound, Tang Lin's dissatisfied voice came from the back seat, "Our divorce is between the two of us. Why are you bothering them?"

Leng Yongkang pedaled the bicycle hard, but his eyes were fixed on Leng Hui, who was sitting on the front crossbar. "They're going to find out about the divorce eventually. What's the difference between knowing early or late?"

Tang Lin sighed and asked calmly, "Leng Yongkang, after all these years of marriage, do you know what annoys me most about you?"

Leng Yongkang, in the front, remained silent.

But that didn't stop Tang Lin from continuing: "I hate how you tell the whole family everything. Even the smallest matters between a husband and wife are shouted for the entire family to hear. In my eyes, it seems like you have no secrets from them. If it weren't for the fact that intimate matters are difficult to speak of, you'd probably be discussing them with your family every few seconds."

Leng Yongkang noticed Leng Hui in front of him covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking, her face and neck flushed bright red. "In front of the child, you certainly have no filter. The things I tell the family are things that *can* be said. Only a fool would gossip about private matters?"

"See? I only said something inappropriate in front of the child, and you've become angry out of shame. Have you ever once considered my feelings?"

Tang Lin shook her head. "From beginning to end, you have never understood the concept of boundaries. For example, my business—don't go blabbing about it everywhere without my consent."

Leng Yongkang argued, "Between husband and wife, your business is my business."

Tang Lin interrupted him irritably, "Is your money my money too? When you gave my money to your mother without my permission, why didn't you ask for my consent?"

Leng Yongkang was speechless.

"Enough, stop arguing. We've reached the Civil Affairs Bureau. I'll watch the bike outside; go handle the formalities quickly!"

At that moment, Leng Hui, sitting in the front, spoke up.

The divorce proceedings went smoothly. In less than half an hour, Leng Yongkang and Tang Lin emerged from the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Tang Lin handed the divorce certificate to Leng Hui, asking her to keep it safe. "Don't lose it, lest someone refuses to acknowledge it later."

As she spoke, she shot a meaningful glance at Leng Yongkang.

Leng Hui carefully folded the paper and put it in her pocket, though in reality, she had already stored it in her spatial dimension.

"Mom, are you going home now or going somewhere else?"

"I'm going to the factory with you."

Sitting on the back of the bicycle again, Tang Lin looked at the hardworking Leng Yongkang, who was pedaling with effort, and reminded him, "I'll give you three days of buffer time. Move out of that housing as soon as possible."

"You're trying to kick us out!"

The bicycle wobbled for a moment as Leng Yongkang snapped out of his shock and hurriedly stabilized it.

Tang Lin replied, "It's not that I insist on kicking you out, but since I'm divorced, I have to report it to the factory. Although the factory treats technicians well, they won't let a mother and daughter live in such a large house alone; they will definitely move us to a smaller one."

The implication was clear: since she was divorced and the factory would provide a smaller house, there would be no room for the large Leng family.

Leng Yongkang felt a sense of loss, but more so, anxiety. The housing issue couldn't be solved in a day or two. If they couldn't find a place, wouldn't he have to lead the Leng family to live on the streets?

Leng Hui kindly reminded him from the front, "You can apply for a dormitory from the factory."

Since he was divorced, Leng Yongkang was technically single. Applying for a small dormitory would at least give him a place to stay.

If he were truly filial, he could even bring Old Lady Leng along.

However, he would have to leave the second branch of the family behind.

Having taken care of the second branch for so many years, could he really abandon that family of five?

Taoism emphasizes karma. The moment Leng Yongkang took on the responsibility of caring for the second branch, he had to be prepared to bear the karma that came with them.

And now, he was caught in a dilemma.

Upon arriving at the Machinery Factory, Leng Yongkang dropped off Tang Lin and her daughter. Watching them enter the factory gates without looking back, his heart was filled with complex emotions.

However, he didn't have much time to wallow in his feelings. Having spent quite a bit of time at the Civil Affairs Bureau, he had to rush back to work.

When Leng Hui arrived at the Technical Department, everyone was drinking tea and chatting, which meant there were no immediate tasks for the day.

Not long after she sat down at her desk, Li Yong entered from outside.

He first praised Leng Hui's performance at work yesterday, then made the arrangements for today's work, and finally dismissed everyone, telling the technicians to go patrol the workshops and check if any lathes were malfunctioning.

"Comrade Leng Hui, come to my office for a moment," Li Yong said, pointing at her before leaving.

Leng Hui took a large gulp of water and entered the Section Chief's office under the watchful eyes of her colleagues.

Once inside, after a few pleasantries, Li Yong went straight to the praise: "I didn't expect your mechanical foundation to be so solid. Not bad! Your mother taught you well."

Leng Hui was not modest at all. "I am smart and have high comprehension."

Li Yong was stunned. In this era of subtle emotional expression, this was the first time he had heard someone praise themselves so shamelessly.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Hmm, you have potential."

He wasn't sure which aspect of her potential he was referring to.

"Ahem, your mother has worked for many years, but she only took proficiency exams when she was young. The factory has been negligent in not providing opportunities for her to advance over the years."

Leng Hui feigned a look of guilt. "I've been a burden to my mother. To take care of me, she hasn't had time to improve herself all these years."

Li Yong took a sip from his mug, glanced at Leng Hui with his small eyes, set the mug down, and asked with a smile, "Comrade Leng Hui, I heard from Director Li that your familiarity with machinery is not inferior to Chen Zhongxiang's. I called you in today mainly to ask: exactly what level of mechanical knowledge have you attained?"

Leng Hui looked bewildered. "Uncle Li, I don't know exactly what level I've reached. I just took a walk through the factory workshops yesterday morning, and I'm not intimidated by the mechanical lathes in there."

She could only say this much. Whether people called her arrogant or thought she was recklessly ignorant, it didn't matter.

In short, when it came to her own skills, she had to show her edge when necessary. Otherwise, if they actually sent her to the countryside to farm, she'd have no one to turn to even if she cried her eyes out.

"Oh~"

Li Yong sat up straight and immediately threw out several questions, all regarding mechanics.

Leng Hui organized her thoughts and pointed out the problems quite fluently.

To be a Section Chief in the Technical Department, his professional level was naturally high. From her answers, it could be deduced that Leng Hui had at least a very solid grasp of basic mechanical knowledge, was familiar with various mechanical principles, and could solve a series of common equipment issues.

In other words, she was perfectly capable of working independently.

At this moment, Li Yong couldn't help but fall into self-doubt. Had Tang Lin's talent been buried under his command all these years?

"Um, Comrade Leng Hui, if given the chance, which proficiency level do you think you could pass?"

Leng Hui felt a surge of joy but remained calm as she thought for a moment. "I wouldn't dare claim a specific level, but I should at least be able to shed the apprentice label."

She was being modest again.

Li Yong couldn't help but want to laugh. He nodded. "I see. Go back and work hard. I have high hopes for you."

"I am honored by your recognition, Leader. I will work hard and not let you down."

"Naughty girl, get out of here!" Li Yong scolded playfully.

"Then I'll leave you to your work, Leader. I'm out." Leng Hui nimbly slipped out of the office.

Looking at the closed door, Li Yong felt a bit of a headache. Through a few interactions, he felt that Leng Hui was even more mischievous than the boys in his own family.

As for Tang Lin, after entering the factory office building and parting with Leng Hui, she first went to the archives to report, and then to the Logistics Department.

In this era, women who dared to divorce were rare as phoenixes, let alone when it happened to a colleague right next to them.

When the people in the Logistics Department heard that Tang Lin was divorced, it was like a thunderclap; everyone was shocked.

Su Youqin suppressed her shock and asked, "You really divorced?"

"I really did."

Fortunately, Tang Lin had taken the divorce certificate back when she parted with Leng Hui.

With the certificate placed on the table, everyone had to believe it.

Everyone was curious about the certificate and passed it around before it returned to Su Youqin's hands.

Xie Haiyan remarked with emotion, "Tang Lin, you really are brave."

If it were her, she wouldn't have had the courage.

Tang Lin gave a bitter smile. "There was no other way. We couldn't stand the sight of each other. If we didn't divorce, we'd just be torturing one another."

Hearing this, everyone felt a sense of shared struggle, and no one knew what to say.

Every family has its own trivial troubles; no one is in a position to mock others.

Su Youqin returned the certificate to her and asked with a hint of pity, "Tang Lin, why did you come over today?"

"Since we are already divorced, it will just be me and my Huihui living together from now on. I don't want to take advantage of the state. Originally, because the factory considered our large family size, the house we were allocated was about forty square meters. Now that I'm divorced and it's just the two of us, living in such a large house wouldn't look good. I was wondering if the factory could exchange it for a smaller house for me."

"This..." Su Youqin was surprised. She had only heard of people complaining that their houses were too small; she had never heard of someone complaining they were too large and proactively asking to exchange for a smaller one.

Tang Lin was the first.

"Comrade Youqin, I don't necessarily need a multi-story building; a single-story house is fine too. However, I don't have many requirements, just one."

Su Youqin asked, "What requirement?"

Tang Lin's mood was low. "Since it will just be me and Huihui, and there won't be a man in the house, I'm afraid people might cause trouble. I was wondering if I could exchange for a single-story house with a courtyard—a detached house. I have no requirements for the size; it can even be dilapidated."

Poor thing.

Divorced women truly have it hard.

The colleagues in the Logistics Department began to feel sorry for Tang Lin.

Indeed, divorce is not a step that anyone dares to take lightly.

Su Youqin also realized that if they lived in a communal courtyard, what if a hooligan broke into their room in the middle of the night?

It could ruin the reputation of both mother and daughter.

In this conservative era, a ruined reputation was almost as bad as losing one's life.

Su Youqin looked at the other colleagues. "Do you have any suggestions? Do you know of any such courtyard houses?"

If the neighborhood committee had one, the factory could step in to coordinate a swap. The factory only had multi-person dormitories.

Married workers found living in multi-person dormitories inconvenient, so most lived outside the factory.

The others looked at each other, trying hard to recall information about housing.

However, housing was scarce in this era; anyone who had a private apartment usually had it for generations.

Living together across multiple generations was the reality for most people in this era.

If there were any vacant houses, they were surely dilapidated or houses that no one dared to live in for certain reasons.

In a large factory like the Machinery Factory, many people were related to one another. Especially those with relatives waiting for housing allocations after marriage, their hearts burned with desire when they heard Tang Lin wanted to give up her house.

This was especially true for those in the Logistics Department who heard the news first.

Every one of them was racking their brains to figure out how to get their hands on that house.

Su Youqin hesitated for a moment, looking troubled. She said, "Tang Lin, it's not that I won't help. You know how tight housing is at the factory right now. There are no vacant houses fit for living, but I do know of a dilapidated courtyard that no one lives in, except..."

If she arranged for Tang Lin to live in that broken house, she feared outsiders would misunderstand and think she was bullying a mother and daughter with no support.

Tang Lin asked, "A dilapidated courtyard? Where is it?"

Xie Haiyan seemed to remember a place and exclaimed, "Section Chief, you don't mean that courtyard on Furong Street in the Dingxing District, do you?"

Su Youqin nodded. "Yes!"

The others in the office gasped and looked at Tang Lin with sympathy.

The courtyard she mentioned was near a barren mountain on Furong Street. The owner had once been a capitalist who reportedly fled abroad before the founding of the country.

The house had always been occupied by his concubine and children, until one night ten years ago, when a tragedy occurred in that mansion.

Thieves had broken in during the middle of the night, and all five members of the family were murdered.

The case had never been solved, and no one knew if it was a vendetta or a random robbery.

The killer's identity—male or female—remained unknown to this day.

Given such a crime scene, the neighbors avoided the area like the plague. Who would be bold enough to move in?

Tang Lin didn't know about this. She had no memories of the original owner and was unaware of the house's history. Seeing everyone's expressions, she couldn't help but ask, "Is there something wrong with that courtyard?"

Xie Haiyan then told Tang Lin the rumors she had heard before, leaving the decision to live there or not entirely up to her.

"Tang Lin, I think you should consider it carefully. Living in that courtyard requires not only a strong constitution but also great courage. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to suppress that bad luck..."

Halfway through, Xie Haiyan stopped herself. Now that superstition was being eradicated, she couldn't speak recklessly.

At that moment, another enthusiastic older sister in the Logistics Department spoke up: "I actually know some news. In our neighborhood, there is a courtyard owner who finds it inconvenient to use a pit latrine in a single-story house and has been wanting to apply for a multi-story building. If you exchange your apartment with them, it might work."